Love From God

DAY FIVE: ADVENT – Love from God

My parents divorced when I was two years old. Of course, I was too little to remember, but what I know is that I was probably the typical toddler, my sister was a preteen, and my brother was dying from cancer.

While sandwiched between one daughter’s puberty and another’s terrible twos, Mom dealt with hospitals, doctors, and her son’s awful disease and ultimate death. She worked hard to take care of the four of us. Money had to stretch and put food on the table. Babysitters had to be arranged. I never remember doing without anything, though. But, I’m sure my mother did.

Jessie Marie did without calm – it was a period of uncertainness. She did without luxuries. Without a car for many years, we walked to buy groceries and to the laundry mat.

She did without a social life – who had time? She did without status. Many employers during her service years didn’t offer equal pay for women. She learned that the hard way when her promised wage at a new job was reduced when the employer discovered “Jessie” was a female.

If something went wrong, she had to figure it out. If something broke, she fixed it. My mother saved to be sure we had presents for Christmas. She saved so we had new clothes to start the school year. She passed up vacations, cashing in the extra pay for essentials. She made sure we went to church. And school excursions.

I don’t remember her ever taking a leisure trip without us. I don’t remember her doing anything for herself. What a living example of sacrificial love. I am forever blessed to have such a loving mother. While I was young, I never stopped to think about how much she gave up for the benefit of her children. Now, to say thank you is woefully inadequate, but other than trying to follow her example and unselfishly give, it’s the best I can do.

Thank you, Mom.

As wonderful as she was, my mother had limits and made mistakes. She was human.

God has no limits. His love goes farther than any parents’ ever could. He loves us all so much that he gave his only Son to cover our mistakes and bridge the gap our limits create. God, the Father, gave God, the Son. He gave himself for you and me! My finite mind can’t comprehend how unlimited God’s love is. I don’t have to understand it. I only have to trust him.

Thank you, God.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”